1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food processing and food processing equipment, but more particularly the present invention relates to an apparatus for the processing of crustacean claws where the removal of the outer crustacean shell is effected by grasping the claw in a rotary holder, rotating the holder, and passing the rotating holder into contact with a cutting saw to thereby make a peripheral cut in the claw crustacean shell to remove the shell and thereby expose the inner meat product.
2. Prior Art
Several devices have been patented which teach the removal of crab meat and the like from the crustacean body of several types of marine creatures. These machines are generally directed to the removal of meat from the central, main body portion of the crustacean. Examples of such crustacea processing equipment can be found in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Class 17, Subclasses 71, 73, 74 and 48.
However, a substantial meat product is also contained in the claw portion of several crustaceans, such as crabs, crawfish, lobsters, and the like. It is this hard crustacean claw with a meat product therein, for example a crab claw, to which the present invention is directed.
Heretofore, in order to remove the upper, outer shell from a claw to expose the meat, hand processing including hand cutting of the shell was required. The resultant product, commonly called a "cocktail claw" is highly desirable but also very expensive due to the relatively low volume hand labor expenses involved.
The machine of the present invention provides for the automatic cutting of the shell for the removal of the shell from the meat of the crab claw to thereby expose the meat. Thus, a substantial amount of food product which normally would be dependent on hand processing can be processed by the machine of the present invention.